Page 54 of Hot Mess

She giggled. “Okay, okay, now this one.” She held out the small one. It felt more like a wrapped envelope.

It was an envelope. Inside was a handwritten note. “When I get a kitchen, can I make you dinner?”

I held the note up and pointed it at her. “I’m counting on this.”

I knew, without a doubt, what I was getting her for Christmas.

23

KAYLA

“It’s moving day, pack up.” Was all that the text message from Isaac said.

I looked at it with some confusion. As far as I knew, none of the apartments I had looked at had been rented. The past few days I had been staying with Nick more than I was staying at the hotel.

“I’m not moving in with Nick. I can’t.” I hit send.

There were so many reasons I couldn’t live in Nick’s house. That would kill my mother. I enjoyed being free of her control, it didn’t mean I wanted her out of my life. And I couldn’t risk the blackmailer discovering that there really was something going on between us.

“You aren’t moving in with Nick. He’s coming to pick you up. This has something to do with your Christmas present. But you didn’t hear that from me.”

Nick had promised me a real present, but that I had to wait a few days. Five days after Christmas wasn’t too bad. I seriously hadn’t thought he had gotten me anything. It wasn’t going to take me very long to pack. I only had two suitcases. I shoved all of my belongings into whichever case had the most available room and zipped them shut.

“I’ll be ready.” I texted back.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to sit around nervously for too long. Isaac must have texted me after Nick had left his place. The hotel, on a good day, was about twenty-five minutes from his house. On a bad day, it was more like forty-five minutes or an hour. One thing I learned quickly in my time in LA, distance was measured in traffic, not miles. It didn’t matter if something was only a mile or two away if the traffic there was always really bad.

Nick and a bellhop arrived at my door. As the bellhop took my bags away, Nick handed me one of the cookie tins we had assembled on Christmas day.

“Merry Christmas. I’m sorry this is a bit late.”

I took the tin of cookies. “You’re giving me my own cookies?”

“Open the box, Kayla,” Nick said with a chuckle.

I opened the tin, and to my surprise it was filled with cookies and fudge. I snagged out a piece of fudge and popped it in my mouth. “I do make good fudge.”

I didn’t make short cut fudge, I boiled the sugar and milk, and used a candy thermometer. It always turned out smooth and creamy. I didn’t take shortcuts with marshmallow fluff. I opened the tin and popped a second piece into my mouth as I followed Nick out through the lobby.

“Open the tin all the way.”

When I did, Nick reached in and grabbed a cookie. He then pointed into the top of the lid. A red envelope had been wedged in.

“Oh, you’re sneaky,” I teased.

I climbed into the car when the valet opened the door for me. Nick jumped over the closed door on the driver's side. I think it was a requirement for looking super cool while getting into old convertibles.

“Where to?” Nick asked.

I shrugged and shook my head.

“The envelope, what's the address?”

I had looked at the front of the Christmas card inside the envelope, but I hadn’t opened the card, assuming it had a gift card or a check inside. I scrambled to open the card. A key fell out, and inside all it said was ‘Merry Christmas’ and listed an address.

I read it off.

“What are you up to?” I asked.

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